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Texas Bible Ban, Christmas Holly, and Pets In Heaven
A Texas school district banning Bibles from libraries, the history of Christmas holly, whether our pets will be in heaven, and much more.
Anthony Langer
December 21, 2024
It's Saturday, December 21, 2024.
Today’s edition covers a Texas school district banning Bibles from libraries, the history of Christmas holly, whether our pets will be in heaven, and much more.
Wisdom says: “Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.” (Proverbs 8:34)
Of Christian Concern
TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICT TO REMOVE BIBLES FROM SCHOOL LIBRARIES
A Texas school district will remove Bibles from school libraries, allegedly under House Bill 900, which forbids sexually explicit material in schools.
Canyon Independent School District Superintendent Darryle Flusche announced the change in an email to parents, stating that portions of the Bible will remain available. The email also states, “We are more than willing to assist a student who would like access to a Bible by arranging this from one of our partnering churches,” and urges parents to contact their representatives about House Bill 900.
The bill defines "sexually explicit material" as “any communication, language or material that describes or depicts sexual conduct in a manner that is patently offensive under the Texas Penal Code.”
One parent told school officials at a school board meeting, “It seems absurd to me that the Good Book was thrown out with the bad books.”
Also Noteworthy
Screenshot of Dr. Michael Brown’s statement. (The Line of Fire / YouTube)
→ Nigerian Christians are bracing for Christmas violence, fearing a repeat of last year’s outbreak of religious persecution that claimed at least 160 lives. Nigeria is the deadliest country for Christians, representing over 80% of martyred Christians in 2023.
→ Dr. Michael Brown, a popular charismatic Bible scholar and radio host, is facing allegations of at least two inappropriate relationships—one with an unnamed woman and the other with now-named Sarah Erin Monk. Brown has engaged a third-party firm to investigate some of the allegations and issued a video statement on Tuesday responding to the situation. Monk issued a statement alleging that Brown is lying about the incidents.
→ The Swiss Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of parents who are separated from their daughter for not supporting her gender transition. The father said:
“We are heartbroken. We love our daughter and only want what’s best for her. We know this decision is not in her best interest.
“That we could face criminal charges for simply trying to care for our daughter shows how deeply embedded transgender ideology is in Swiss institutions and the real harms it causes.
“We are considering our next steps.”
→ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing a New York doctor for “providing abortion-inducing drugs to Texans through telehealth.” This lawsuit is one of the first challenges to the “shield laws” that some pro-abortion states have passed to allow doctors to procure abortion pills for murderous mothers in pro-life states without legal repercussions.
→ Planned Parenthood reports a 20% increase in abortions the organization performed over the past 10 years.
→ Two were killed and six were injured in a school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday. The 15-year-old female shooter is also dead, presumably by suicide.
Content Catch-Up
Recent, notable content of Christian interest.*
Bathsheba at Her Bath, Hans Burgkmair I, 1519, woodcut (Public Domain Donation)
→ David and Bathsheba As Literature: A discussion about how to understand the David and Bathsheba story resurfaced online this week. Some questions: Did David actually rape Bathsheba? Did Uriah actually know everything? (Original Thread)
→ Reading List for 2025: Christian author and podcaster Virgil Walker offers a list of ten “must-read” books for 2025 on theology and culture. (List)
*Not necessarily an endorsement
Church History Tidbit
Christmas Holly
Photo: Lum3n
Decorating one’s home with holly is often associated with Christmas, but the tradition is pre-Christian.
The practice is traced to the Druids, the religious leaders of the Indo-European peoples known as the Celts. Druids, who existed before Christ’s advent and for a couple of centuries afterward, reportedly considered holly a sacred plant. HowStuffWorks reports:
“The Druids regarded holly as a symbol of fertility and eternal life, thought to have magical powers. In Druid lore, cutting down a holly tree would bring bad luck. In contrast, hanging the plant in homes was believed to bring good luck and protection. Holly was also thought to protect homes against lightning strikes.”
The Laidback Gardener adds:
“To profit from the power of holly, Celts would hang holly sprigs in their windows and over the door to keep witches and evil spirits away. Since it was well known that only good people could enter a house protected by holly, holly gradually became a symbol of hospitality and welcome.”
Some Christians adopted and reinterpreted the tradition of hanging holly, using the plant’s different parts as symbols of Christ’s work: the red berry represents His blood, the prickly leaves represent the crown of thorns, etc. This symbolism is portrayed in the British folk Christmas carol “The Holly and the Ivy”:
The holly bears a berry,
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to do us sinners good. (Refrain)
“The holly bears a prickle,
As sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn. (Refrain)
The first known mention of this carol comes from England in the early 19th century. Two centuries earlier, however, hanging holly around town became an act of protest against the Puritans’ ban on Christmas in England, Ireland, and Wales (1643-1660).
Why had they banned it? Christmas’s adoption of pagan traditions (like hanging holly), the absence of any biblical command to celebrate Jesus’ birthday, and the lack of a clear biblical indication of when Jesus’ birth occurred led the Puritans to believe the practice was unscriptural.
In the law of Moses, whose principles reveal the unchanging heart and character of God, the Lord commanded His people not to worship Him like pagans worshipped their own gods:
“When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way . . .” (Deuteronomy 12:29-31a)
So, did the Puritans have a point?
The Bible, Briefly
Our Pets In Heaven?
Photo: Константин Поляков
Many people wonder whether their deceased pets will be in heaven. What does the Bible say?
In his comprehensive book on heaven, Randy Alcorn observes that Christ declares, “I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5)—and “all things” includes animals. “Christ’s emphasis isn’t on making new things,” he writes, “but on making old things new.”
Christ didn’t die for animals in the way he died for people since only people are made in God’s image and need redemption from their sins. Still, He did die for animals (as for all creation) indirectly because redeeming us results in restoring everything our sin brought down. Romans, Alcorn observes, is explicit about this:
“[T]he creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:21-23)
Not only will our bodies be redeemed, but all creation groans and longs for deliverance—and will be delivered. Since the people Christ will redeem are the same people who had been corrupted (otherwise, it wouldn’t be redemption), it’s logical to conclude that the same is true of animals: “at least some of those animals who suffered on the old Earth must be made whole on the New Earth.”
Will some of those be our pets? Alcorn reasons,
“It would be simple for [God] to re-create a pet in Heaven if he wants to. He’s the giver of all good gifts… If it would please us to have a pet restored to the New Earth, that may be sufficient reason. Consider parents who’ve acquired a pet because of their child’s request. God is better than we are at giving good gifts to his children (Matthew 7:9-11).”
Since we know animals will be on the New Earth, “Wouldn’t some of those likely be our pets?”
What did you think of today’s briefing?
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